When the cap of a container of a carbonated beverage, such as plain soda water, soda water with additives, beer, and the like, is removed from the container, the gas tends to escape from the container, thereby causing the original taste of the carbonated beverage to deteriorate. Thus, it is desirable to prevent the escape of the gas from the container, when the container is not being used.
Methods and systems for preventing the gas to escape the container, are known in the art. These systems generally employ a valve of some kind, which normally seals the mouth of the container and when actuated by a user, the valve opens the mouth of the container to the atmosphere, thereby allowing the user to dispense the liquid from the container, under the pressure of the gas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,779 issued to Ventura and entitled “Valve Assembly for Supplying Pressurized Liquid From a Container”, is directed to a valve assembly for dispensing pressurized liquid from a Polyethylene Terepthalate (PET) bottle. The valve assembly includes a body, a valve member and a dip tube. The body includes a transverse partition wall, an axial conduit, a supplying orifice, a supplying spout, a top opening, a dome-cap and a tube-retaining socket. The valve member includes a membrane-like disc, a plurality of resilient arms, a closing piece and an actuating stem. The dome-cap includes a dome and an actuating projection.
The transverse wall is conical. The dome-cap is coupled with the top opening. The axial conduit is located at the center of the body and communicates with the supplying orifice. The supplying orifice communicates with the supplying spout. The tube-retaining socket is coupled to the lower portion of the body. The membrane-like disc is located between the tube-retaining socket and the transverse partition wall. The dip tube is coupled with the tube-retaining socket and enters into the PET bottle, to communicate with the liquid.
The closing piece is located on top of the resilient arms and the actuating stem is coupled with the top portion of the closing piece. The actuating stem is located below the actuating projection. The user pushes the dome-cap down, wherein the actuating projection makes contact with the actuating stem and moves the closing piece down against the resilient arms. The liquid flows up through the dip tube, a valve opening generated between the closing piece and the transverse partition wall, through the axial conduit, the supplying orifice and out through the supplying spout.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,832 issued to Lombardo and entitled “Apparatus for Dispensing a Pressurized Liquid”, is directed to an apparatus for dispensing a pressurized liquid from a container. The apparatus includes a head member, a valve member, a liner, a shaft, a cover, a locking ring, a locking pin and a knob. The head member includes a bottle attachment cylinder, a siphon tube, a flow passage, a conical valve chamber and a pour spout. The bottle attachment cylinder includes internal threads for screwing the apparatus on a bottle. The siphon tube is coupled with the flow passage and the siphon tube enters into the bottle to be immersed into the liquid. The flow passage is located between the siphon tube and the apex of the conical valve chamber. The pour spout is coupled with the wide portion of the conical valve chamber.
The valve member is conical and fits within the conical valve chamber. The liner includes a converging portion which is located between the valve member and the inner surface of the conical valve chamber and a diverging portion. The cover includes internal threads for being screwed on an end of the head member. An end of the diverging portion is clamped between the end of the head member and the cover, to seal the space between the conical valve chamber, the flow passage and the pour spout.
The shaft includes an enlarged diameter segment and a smaller diameter segment. The enlarged diameter segment is externally threaded, in order to be screwed into a threaded bore of the valve member. The smaller diameter portion of the shaft passes through the cover and is fastened to the knob, by the locking pin. The locking ring is located between the cover and the knob, to prevent axial movement of the shaft. Since the liner restricts rotation of the valve member, rotation of the knob causes the valve member to move axially within the conical valve chamber, thereby allowing the liquid to flow from the siphon tube, through the flow passage and the conical valve chamber, out through the pour spout.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,090 issued to McClure and entitled “Beverage Dispenser”, is directed to a dispenser for dispensing a pressurized liquid from a container. The dispenser includes a head, a valve body, a trigger handle, a tube, a tube seal and an outlet. The lower portion of the head includes internal threads to be screwed onto a neck of a bottle. When the head is assembled on the bottle, the tube seal seals between the neck of the bottle, the head and the tube. The tube extends from the neck to the bottom of the bottle. The trigger handle is coupled with the valve body and the valve body is located on the top of the tube. When the trigger handle is pressed, the valve body allows the liquid to flow from the tube and through the valve body, out through the outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,718 issued to Shwery and entitled “Bottle Closures”, is directed to a bottle closure to temporarily prevent a pressurized beverage to escape from a bottle. The closure includes a one-piece molded housing, a one-piece molded valve stem, a one-piece molded resilient push top, a circular underside and a spout. The one-piece molded housing includes an internal thread to be screwed on a top portion of a bottle. The valve stem includes a ball at one end thereof and a frusto-conical sealing skirt at another end thereof. The frusto-conical sealing skirt includes a rigid sealing skirt and a flexible sealing skirt. The circular underside includes rigid frusto-conical seat for mating with the rigid sealing skirt and with the flexible sealing skirt. The one-piece molded resilient push top includes a dome-type portion and a cylindrical extension. The cylindrical extension includes a socket for engaging with the ball of the valve stem.
Normally, the one-piece molded resilient push top pulls the valve stem up against the circular underside, such that the frusto-conical sealing skirt seals the rigid frusto-conical seat, thereby preventing the beverage to escape. When the user pushes the one-piece resilient push top down, the frusto-conical sealing skirt loses contact with the rigid frusto-conical seat and allows the beverage to flow out through the spout.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,116 issued to Ball and entitled “Valve for Dispensing Fluid From a Container”, is directed to a valve to dispense a liquid from a container, under a gas pressure. The valve includes a screw cap, a hollow grommet and a hollow valve rod. The screw cap includes internal threads for the valve to be screwed onto a neck of the container. The screw cap includes an aperture to hold the hollow grommet. The hollow grommet includes a skirt which fits on a dip tube. The dip tube enters the bottle to seek the low level of the liquid in the container. The hollow valve rod includes a flange. The hollow grommet is located within the screw cap and the hollow valve rod is located within the hollow grommet. The cap screw includes an annular passageway and a pipe union. The pipe union is coupled with a pressurized gas source.
Normally, the hollow grommet forces the flange against itself, thereby preventing the liquid to escape from the container. When the hollow valve rod is tilted sideways, a path for the liquid and a path for the pressurized gas to flow from the pressurized gas source through the annular passageway to the container is formed, thereby causing the liquid to flow out of the container under gas pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,689 issued to Stumpf and entitled “Resealable Cap for a Container”, is directed to a cap for a container for allowing a carbonated liquid to flow out of the container, by pushing a button. The cap includes a body member, a spout, a button, a ventilation tube, an insert tube, two sealing members, a plunger, a compression spring, a retaining washer and a guide cylinder. The cap includes internal threads to be screwed onto a neck of the container. The guide cylinder is located at the bottom portion of the insert tube. The guide cylinder includes a plurality of projections. The insert tube is located within the cap and when the cap is screwed onto the container, the insert tube locates within the neck of the container and one of the sealing members seals between the insert tube and the neck.
The button is located at one end of the plunger and the other sealing member is located at the other end of the plunger. The plunger is located within the insert tube, such that the button locates on top of the cap and the sealing member seals the rim of the insert tube. The retaining washer is located at the lower portion of the plunger and the compression spring is located between the retaining washer and the projections of the guide cylinder, thereby forcing the sealing member to seal the rim of the guide cylinder. The button is pushed against the force of the compression spring, thereby unsealing the rim of the guide cylinder and opening a path for the carbonated liquid to flow out of the container through the spout. Meanwhile, air enters the container through the ventilation tube, thereby facilitating the flow of the carbonated liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,606 issued to Huizing and entitled “Pouring Spout with Refill Prevention Device”, is directed to a pouring spout which allows pouring of a liquid from a bottle and prevents refilling of the bottle. The pouring spout includes a neck part, a closing part and a pouring spout housing. The pouring spout housing includes an upper part, a lower part, a cylinder member and a movable weight. The upper part includes a conical surface which diverges toward the lower part. The lower part includes a cylindrical part at the lower portion thereof. The cylindrical part includes a plurality of casing openings. The cylinder member is located within the cylindrical part and can move there within. The movable weight is located between the cylinder member and the conical surface.
The pouring spout is assembled on a neck of the bottle, such that the upper part, the lower part, the cylinder member and the movable weight are located between the neck of the bottle and the closing part. The neck part includes a lower groove and an upper groove. The lower groove mates with a groove on the periphery of the neck of the bottle and the upper groove mates with another groove on the periphery of the upper part. Thus, the neck part together with the upper part, the lower part, the cylinder member and the movable weight are coupled with the neck of the bottle and can not be removed without damaging the pouring spout. The closing part is coupled with the neck part by a breakable element. After breaking the breakable element, the closing part can be screwed onto the neck part.
When the bottle is located in an upright position, the movable weight forces the cylinder member toward the cylindrical part, thereby closing the casing openings. When the bottle is tilted at an angle which exceeds the angle of the conical surface, the movable weight and the cylinder member move toward the upper part, the casing openings open and the liquid pours out of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,970 issued to Smith et al., and entitled “Self Closing Dispensing Valve Biased by Resilient Fingers”, is directed to a dispensing valve for pouring liquid from a liquid-containing bag. The dispensing valve includes a valve body, a cap and a valve member. The valve body includes a rim, a front wall, a guide channel, a frusto-conical section and a cylindrical outlet section. The cylindrical outlet section includes a bearing hole. The front wall is provided with finger grips. The lower portion of the cylindrical outlet section is cut away to form a rectangular outlet orifice. The cap includes a circular rear wall. The circular rear wall includes a plurality of resilient flexible fingers and a plurality of inlet holes. The valve member includes a camming surface, a cylindrical portion, a conical rear portion, an actuating portion and a valve boss.
The actuating portion is located within the bearing hole and the bearing hole acts as a guide for the actuation portion. The valve boss slides within the guide channel, thereby opening and closing the rectangular outlet orifice. The rim is coupled with a fitting of the liquid-containing bag. The cap is located within the valve member, such that the resilient flexible fingers make contact with the camming surface. When the actuating portion is pushed against the finger grips, the rectangular outlet orifice opens and the liquid flows out from the liquid-containing bag, through the inlet holes and the rectangular outlet orifice. When the actuating portion is released, the resilient flexible fingers force the valve member against the camming surface, such that the actuating portion moves out through the bearing hole and the valve boss obstructs the rectangular outlet orifice, thereby preventing the liquid to flow out of the liquid-containing bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,196 issued to Montgomery and entitled “Closure for a Pressurized Container”, is directed to a closure for closing the neck of a container package which contains a pressurized liquid, such as a carbonated beverage. The closure includes a planar top, an annular skirt, an annular flange, a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially passages and a plurality of circumferentially spaced axially extending passages. The annular skirt extends downwardly from the planar top and the annular skirt includes an internal thread for screwing the closure on the external threads of the neck. The annular flange extends downwardly from the planar top and diverges toward an inner wall of the neck, to make contact with the inner wall.
When the closure is screwed onto the neck, the container pressure within the container package applies a sealing force on the annular flange, thereby moving the annular flange outwardly toward the inner wall and sealing the annular flange against the inner wall. When the force is applied to the annular flange outwardly relative to the planar top, the air trapped between the annular flange and the planar top exits through the circumferentially spaced radially passages, thereby allowing the annular flange to move outwardly. When the closure is unthreaded, the container pressure is relieved through the circumferentially spaced axially extending passages.